Of Purgatory and Resurrection
by CorvaCorvidae
Summary: Facing the wrath of former friend Slade Wilson, Oliver Queen and the rest of Team Arrow return to Lian Yu in search of answers. What they find there (a peculiar metahuman, a long-lost friend, and a risky cure for Mirakuru), however, only succeeds in creating more questions. Slade/Oliver, Shado/OC, spoilers for seasons 1-2, non-canon.
1. Preface

Preface

Lian Yu, despite having been long deserted by a hapless Oliver Queen and his equally hapless companions, was never completely quiet.

Anyone who paused to listen would hear the cries of at least a dozen different species of birds- some yet unknown to even the most devout ornithologist-, the growls and howls of lanky Tibetan wolves, and the near constant chirps and hums of teeming insects that hid in the foliage and soft dirt the forest provided. Those close enough to the water would hear the steady crash of waves against rocky cliffs and the gentle lap of those same broken crests against the sandy beaches, as the occasional pod of whales sang as they passed.

It was only when one chose to wander to the easternmost point of the island- a land consumed with mossy rocks and towering evergreens that were periodically broken with patches of grass-covered meadows and ocean-side cliffs- that one would hear a very different noise. It was almost inaudible, even to the keenest of ears, but its sound never failed to attract the attention, though not investigation, of roving packs of curious wolves and their evermore curious prey.

Had anyone, animal or man, chosen to follow the sound, they would eventually come upon the machine from which it issued- a heavily camouflaged and deceptively small generator. A single cable sprang forth, stretching a few dozen feet in the tall grass before appearing to end abruptly at the sheer face of a tall boulder. In actuality, the little black cable snaked downward- through moss and dark, fertile dirt- and into a large cave, the only entrance to which was just as camouflaged as the generator that powered it.

Here, a woman sat; not on the ground, as one might expect, but on a soft chair she had managed to bring with her- good chairs were so hard to find, after all. In front of her sat a large monitor and to her left sat, curiously enough, a wifi router.

And as, one by one, dogs and cats and even the occasional rabbit began to assume their places by her feet, preparing for the night, the woman found herself scrolling through a collection of highly classified, highly encrypted data- all detailing the heralding stories of the Arrow and the sudden appearance of a certain Australian nemesis.

"Well, that just won't do." She muttered, mostly to herself but also, admittedly, to the animals that had settled into sleep around her. Some glared at her, perturbed at her noise while others remained sleeping. Two, however, slowly drew themselves upright and, with a long stretch each, started for the cave entrance.

"Oh, come on now, surely this can wait until morning." She argued, waving absently to the screen as she faced the two dogs who had risen.

Seeing them merely continue on their way out prompted her to stand as well, but not without significant grumbling from both her and the three cats that had taken residence on her lap.

"Fine. We'll do it now I suppose."

With a final glance back at the screen, she tightened a thick woolen scarf around her neck and quickly checked that the fire was still going, that the smoke was still escaping from a cleverly placed and entirely discreet opening in the cave's roof. Inexplicably disappointed to find that it was, and that all else in the cave was as it should be, she huffed once more, and then disappeared into the cold black of the island's night, following two canine figures as they bounded ahead, one's nose in the air and the other's to the ground.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Oliver, are you down here?" Felicity called, her tall pink heels clicking against the metal of the basement's staircase.

Oliver didn't answer, preferring instead to remain focused on the delicate task before him. With all the recent outings he had made as the Arrow, Oliver had fallen far behind on his arrow-crafting, with so few remaining as to not allow another outing that night.

Despite his non-response, he heard Felicity join him; the rolling of her chair's wheels as she pulled up to sit at her desktop, the clicking as her fingers flew over her keyboard. The company was nice, he decided. One of the few (many) things he missed about the island was the silent, amicable company, most often provided by Slade as Shado's company was often the talkative sort.

 _You cannot die until you have suffered the same why I have suffered, until you have known complete despair, and you will, I promise._

Those were the last words Slade had spoken to Oliver before abandoning him on Lian Yu. He supposed that, with such a promise, he shouldn't be surprised that the Australian was behind the most recent chaos to befall the city and, more specifically, Oliver and his family. But he was. Or perhaps it was more hurt, betrayal, than true surprise. And even that he had no right to- after all, it was he who betrayed Slade first, in his failure to insure Shado's safety.

"Are you okay, Oliver?"

So much for silent company.

He looked up half in question and half in annoyance at Felicity, who had stopped typing and turned to face him with an air of clear concern.

"You stopped," she said, pointing to the half-finished arrow in his hand, "and started to look really-"

"Tired, I know. I think I've overdone it a little recently." He quickly excused, forcing a smile across his features.

"I was going to say sad. You looked sad." She lent in, placing her chin in her hands in a pose that clearly meant 'talk to me'. Oliver never liked that look.

"I guess tired and sad can look pretty similar." He tried, readjusting the lamp to study his arrowhead- despite being certain of both its quality and finality.

"Not your tired and sad."

He rolled his eyes. "Can you just drop it, Felicity?"

He heaved a heavy sigh when, glancing back to the blonde, caught sight of the stubborn look that had settled over the her face.

"No, Oliver. Friends aren't supposed to 'just drop it'." She said, emphasizing her point with air quotes. "Friends are supposed to be there for each other, and listen to each other's problems and help them fix whatever's wrong. You should know, I mean, you've pretty much made it your life's mission to fix other people's issues- friends or not."

Oliver remained silent, continuing to examine the illuminated arrowhead.

After a few moments of silence, she spoke again. "Is this about Slade?"

Oliver couldn't help but flinch as he heard the name. Out loud it had an even greater effect than when he said it in his head.

"I know this can't be easy for you, you must've been close after being stuck on the island together for so long." She paused, seeing that Oliver was no longer focused on the arrow but instead staring at the blank cement wall ahead of him. "Was he there with you the entire time? The whole five years?"

Oliver was so tempted to shut her out. To lie and tell her Slade was nothing- that they only met in brevity, that he was an enemy solider, that he was a crew member on board the boat that pulled him from the island- a lie that made him seem insignificant. And yet, looking at Felicity and how open she was, how sincere she was, he found he couldn't bring a lie to his lips.

"For most of it, yeah."

Felicity appeared surprised to have actually gotten an answer, just as Oliver was surprised to have given one. However, never one to turn down the opportunity to help Oliver, nor to learn more about his mystery-clouded past, she pushed on.

"And you were friends?"

Oliver considered. He wasn't sure what to call the relationship between Slade and him. Shado and he, they had been friends- and almost immediately so. But Slade? He was never quite sure where he stood with Slade. Slade had been many things- a threat, at first, when he had knocked Oliver out and forced him to prove himself in the face of execution. A drill sergeant next, when he tried desperately to whip Oliver into shape, at least enough so that he would succeed in taking down the guard on the radio. Then a begrudging ally, when he chased after an honor-tied Oliver who returned for Yao Fei, and a patient shortly thereafter. And finally, he was a teacher, and a good one at that when he lost his drill sergeant edge and began to truly invest in Oliver's survival rather than simply his success in a singular mission. After that, however? Oliver wasn't so sure, for it was about that time that Shado joined them.

He hadn't realized what Slade had meant when he had called Shado a "distraction", nor what the older man had attempted to do in all the conversations they had about Oliver's continued relationship with her. The fact that he and Shado's romantic relationship was, for all intents and purposes, a sham made him feel even worse. He desperately wished he had simply manned up, as Shado had so often encouraged him to do, and spoken openly- to everyone, but especially Slade. Had he known the man was in love with Shado, he would have. Or at least, he liked to think so. Because maybe if he had, if he had given Slade the opportunity to experience the love and belonging and warmth that Shado so naturally seemed to emanate, maybe things would be different. Maybe Slade and Shado would be standing beside him, instead one against him and one not standing at all.

Instead, he had chosen to be selfish. He had chosen to lie, and by doing so alienate a man he grew to truly consider family.

Oliver had never thought, of all the things he did on the island, that loving Shado would've been the cruelest.

Abruptly, he shook his head. It was no use dwelling on "maybes", "what ifs", and blame. The events of the island had happened, there was no changing them. And now, a Mirakuru-fueled Slade was on a warpath that would inevitably end with his death and those of those closest to him, were nothing to stop the Australian's vendetta.

No matter what Slade had been to him- an ally, a teacher, a friend, or something else completely- all that mattered was what he had become; an enemy.

Remembering that Felicity was still awaiting an answer, he pulled himself from his thoughts and met her concern-filled blue eyes.

"You're my friend, Felicity, and he's threatening you- all of you. That's all that matters now."

And while the former part was absolutely true, he couldn't stop the dread that filled him knowing the latter was a bald-faced lie.


End file.
